Ys II Special

Adol Christina returns, this time with the world not standing in his way. Ys II Special is a continuation of the legendary series that appeared on DOS machines in the nineties as an upgrade to the original from 1988. The Japanese folks at Falcom figured the basic foundation was enough, and they unleashed it into the wild with improved sound and graphics.

It's a classic Japanese RPG in first-person perspective. Adol travels through an enchanted world full of bosses, collecting experience and new abilities that gradually make him more dangerous. The game isn't about devising tactics — it's straightforward enemy-bashing and picking up the life drops you just knocked loose. The map is designed in a spiral, so you end up treading the same path for a while and completing various tasks in different orders.

Gameplay flows in a fairly simple rhythm. You fight with melee, collect deeds for experience, hunt down a skull or new sword to hit a bit harder. The inventory works without annoying menus — you've just got stuff in your bag and move on. On DOS it runs decently, stutters here and there, but doesn't cause frustration. Falcom's music is what everyone else will be copying for years to come — it's simply quality composition, not synth whistling.

Ys II Special claimed a place in the hearts of those with time for something more than blinks back in the nineties. It wasn't the most demanding game or the prettiest, but it had spirit. The Famicom original is a legend, this DOS version is more of a workhorse — functional, solid, but without the magic of old hardware.

Today it'll suit those who want to play a classic Japanese RPG without unnecessary fuss. You'll find it in a browser, mute the noise, turn up the music, and run through it. It's not the most fun thing you can do, but you'll grab it for two or three evenings and won't complain. Clean, old, honest.